Message from Ms. Pratibha Kashyap

Please give a short introduction of yourself.

My name is Pratibha Kashyap and, my hometown is Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. I am studying MBA in International Project Management from Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, Japan. I have accepted KDDI scholarship for my program and I am going to finish my course in the class of 2017.

What is your favorite thing about Kyoto?

Kyoto city has many things to admire and get inspired as well. It will be very difficult to say one favorite thing because I love Kyoto and I like everything about Kyoto. But I would like to share favorite things of Kyoto which are Temples, Shrines, Kamogawa River, Onsen, Tale of Genji and of course Kyoto University. There are various things to experience in Kyoto, this city is very beautiful and what I love the most about Kyoto is that beautiful preservation of historical culture. Every temple, shrine or bank of river tells you the unique story about Japan and its culture. Kyoto has not only been my educational destination but it is the place where I find insight of spirituality and connection with nature. In my experience, Kyoto is called as "Land of Nature" and Spirituality.

In what way has your impression of Kyoto or Japan changed since coming here?

When I was in my country, Japan was known for advanced technology, Robots, reliable quality of product manufacturer etc. But when I came to Japan, my impression towards Japan added more colors such as homogeneous Japanese Society which provides same facilities to every citizen. Living in Japan teaches me every day something new about life and human nature. I would like to recommend everyone to visit once in their lives to Kyoto because 'it's worth of experiencing'.

What attracted you to choose Kyoto University as a place to study?

I wanted to study MBA course in Japan but there are very few universities which provide MBA Programs in Japan but I was very lucky to find MBA program at Kyoto University. Kyoto is the historical and cultural city of Japan and I wanted to experience ancient Japanese culture, therefore, I chose Kyoto University and I was lucky to get enrolled in Kyoto University. Later on, I found out few other things for liking about my program such as; humble Professors and world-class designed curriculum. It provided me opportunities to learn Japanese culture along with giving opportunities to blend with many cultures and nationalities whether they are students or professors. This course has been great learning platform which raises my knowledge and decision-making skills.

In what way did you adjust yourself to Japanese culture?

When I arrived in Japan, I experienced cultural shock as Japanese culture is very different from Indian culture. People in Japan are very helpful and I was very impressed with Japanese Hospitality (Omotenashi) which allows me to learn new things about Japanese culture. Initially, there were few difficulties with interacting with people due to the language barrier but later on, as time passes, I took Japanese classes and Japanese ethics classes in my University which helped me to understand Japanese culture in depth. Life in University really helps me to adjust to Japanese culture and teach me to challenge more.

Please give a message to students or researchers in your home country who may be thinking about studying in Japan?

Japan is the safe and secure country for international students, Japanese Universities are highly organized, provide world-class facilities and have transparent admission procedure. Curriculum in Master course is highly advanced and provides practical approach. There are immense opportunities to learn and experience multiple cultures. This is the great destination for those students who would like to challenge more and experience new things.I feel happy that I chose Japanese University for higher education, it gave me higher education along with immense experiences and great friends from all over the world. Ganbarimasu!!